How to View Update History on Windows - Update History in Windows 11

For some people, Windows updates come and go without any issues, but those people are in the very rare, lucky minority. The majority of Windows users will have a completely different experience with updates. Sometimes they work great, and sometimes they cause major problems. So, regardless of which group you fall into, this guide is going to show you how to quickly and easily view the Windows Update History of your device.

How to View Update History on Windows - Update History in Windows 11 (Easy Option)

To check the update history in Windows 11 through the Settings app, you'll need to do the following.

• Open Settings.
• Select Windows Update from the sidebar.
• Click Update history under the “More options” section.

You will now see a categorised list of updates installed on your system, including:

• Quality Updates (monthly cumulative updates)
• Driver Updates
• Definition Updates (Microsoft Defender Antivirus)
• Feature Updates
• Optional Updates

Each section lists the relevant updates, along with their status. Updates that failed to install will show an error message or code next to their name. You can use this error code to search for solutions online. Though I highly suggest checking out our page first, as we have written about hundreds, if not thousands, of these error codes to date.

If you want more details about a specific update, select the Learn more link next to the update entry. This will take you to the official Microsoft support page, where you can read about the update’s changes, improvements, and any known issues.

This section also helps determine whether Microsoft Defender Antivirus is receiving definition updates as expected. If an update caused problems, you can uninstall it by navigating to Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates.

View Update History Using PowerShell (Advanced Option)

You can also use PowerShell to view update history, which provides a more technical breakdown and allows for advanced control over updates.

• Open the Start menu.
• Search for PowerShell, right-click the result, and choose Run as administrator.

To install the required module, enter the following command:

• If you encounter an error, it may be due to PowerShell’s execution policy. You can temporarily allow scripts using this command:

• After completing the steps, you can return the setting to its original state using:

• Type A and press Enter to confirm the module installation.

• View your update history:

To view all update records, enter:

To view only the most recent updates, for example, the last 20 entries, use:

You can adjust the number of entries shown by changing the value after -Last.

This PowerShell module also supports other functions, including installing updates and removing problematic patches. This can be particularly helpful after major rollouts like Patch Tuesday.

Additional PowerShell Commands

You can also use the Get-HotFix command for viewing installed hotfixes. For example:

To list all hotfixes by installation date (most recent first):

To check for a specific update by its KB number:

Note: Get-HotFix only displays WMI-registered hotfixes. It will not include all cumulative updates, which are shown more comprehensively using the Get-WUHistory command.

Important: The wmic qfe list command, which was previously used in Command Prompt to view updates, has been removed starting with Windows 11 version 24H2.